PENSIONERS in isolation at a Bannockburn sheltered housing development have been benefitting from nutritional meals every week thanks to the efforts of local volunteers.
Tenants at Bield's Greenacre Court in Bannockburn have been served soups and snack every Tuesday for the last eight weeks during the coronavirus lockdown.
They have been supported by community gorup Ladies of the Rock who started a volunteering initiative via Facebook just two weeks after Covid-10 restrictions were made official.
Initially helping with prescriptions and shopping, the group grew and started making soup from donations to make sure the elderly and vulnerable receive nutritional meals.
Around 380 individuals have benefited from the service altogether, including the pensioners at Greenacre Court.
Fran Nicol, volunteer, said: "We knew that there would be various members of the community needing help with shopping, picking up prescriptions and just general day to day things, as the lockdown restrictions encouraged the elderly to stay at home.
“Bield’s Greenacre Court is one of our regular deliveries and as a group we are really delighted to be able to make this stressful time a little bit easier for some of our older community members.
“We deliver the soup and snack to 26 Bield tenants and it is lovely to hear they now see Tuesday as a special day as it is delivery day – it gives them something to look forward too.
“We are really happy to hear the joy the freshly home cooked soup is bringing to the tenants and can’t wait until we can meet them in person as we look to continue our work with the development post lockdown.”
The volunteers work together with members of the local community as well as businesses who have donated ingredients and equipment.
Lynne Douglas, chief executive at Bield, added: "We are really grateful for the donations from the Ladies of the Rock and the wider community.
"It’s little acts of kindness like this that are really bringing communities across Scotland together during a troubling time.
“Our tenants have expressed their appreciation for the food parcels and look forward to them arriving at the development every week.”
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